Wall coverings which serve to decorate and protect the underlying wall surface have been widely employed. Wall covering materials of this general type have traditionally been prepared by coating a base sheet with a water-based adhesive including, for example, a wallpaper paste. Such materials, however, have been found to be disadvantageous since they are cumbersome and difficult to handle due to the sloppy, damp nature of the water-based adhesive. As a result, pressure sensitive adhesives have been employed in securing wall coverings as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,620,366 to Parkinson and 4,783,354 to Fagan. In general, by using these adhesives, a homeowner may readily apply a wall covering without the time, effort, and skill involved in using wet adhesives.
Nonetheless, wall coverings attached with pressure sensitive adhesives suffer from various drawbacks. For example, when a wall covering has been in place for a prolonged period of time, it is often difficult to remove the covering without harming the underlying surface or without leaving an excess of adhesive. Accordingly, stripping aids have been used. Repositioning of the wall covering after being attached to the wall is also troublesome in that it often bubbles and wrinkles. With respect to decorative coverings, this problem is especially troublesome since repositioning may be necessary in order to achieve maximum ornamental effect. Moreover, if adhesive surfaces are inadvertently bonded together, it is extremely difficult to separate the corresponding wall coverings.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wall covering with a decorative and protective surface with a pressure sensitive adhesive which the wall covers such to be easily removed after extended use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wall covering with a decorative and protective surface with a pressure sensitive adhesive such that the wall covering may be repositioned during installation with minimal surface distortion.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a wall covering with a decorative and protective surface with a pressure sensitive adhesive which allows the wall covering to be readily separated from another wall covering in the event the two surfaces become attached.